Bits and Pieces of this life of mine

ocean city

Post navigation

Why am I up at 2:30am? It’s not like I had a lot of caffeine today. On the plus side, I don’t have to be at work until 11 so I will be able to sleep in… Amelia permitting.

May is such a busy month for us; it’s been non-stop weekends since the beginning and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon. Eventually, I’d like to write about Easter, my promotion at work, Mother’s Day, Greg’s 33rd birthday, and other events but I don’t know when I’ll have the time (unless I stay up until 2:30am every night).

In other news, I’ve switched schools and I’m now a student of the University of Maryland! My first class begins June 1 and it’s accounting– should be easy, right?

Greg and I have enrolled Amelia into a Summer Camp of sorts. It’s a private school that offers a summer program and it sounds awesome! I hope there are a lot of opportunities for volunteers or chaperones! In addition to the summer school, Amelia is enrolled in Pre-K at the same private school. I can’t believe my baby girl is grown up!

We’re still on for the cruise in November and we’re hoping to get a trip to Ocean City, MD sometime in August before school starts.

Amelia has been asking Greg and I every week since October if we’re going back to Disney World. We tell her that we will go back one day. However, we have a plan: a surprise trip for Amelia’s 6th birthday! We’re totally going be like the Disney commercials where the kids are told once they wake up. Unfortunately, we have to wait a year and a half but that gives us enough time to save for a stay at the Polynesian or Animal Kingdom Lodge.

House hunting is coming along. We are meeting with the financial counselor in June to move on to the next step and we hope to have a home by next Spring at the latest.

I love swimming. Like, borderline addiction, love. And, I am so excited that Amelia is potty trained because that means we will be spending every free moment at the community pool!

We took Amelia on Monday for her first swim. She didn’t care for it at first but with in minutes she was jumping off the side of the pool! See for your self:

Or, better yet, watch a clip:

As you can tell, we have a camera that we can take underwater. Actually, it’s a underwater housing unit that we bought for my point and shoot camera to use on the cruise but never had the opportunity.

……………………………………………………….

As previously mentioned, May was one helleva busy month. I had a photography gig and shot for 56Kay (all the pictures on their site were taken by me) and ended up meeting Matt Beilis (you should also check out his YouTube page; he’s awesome).

Matt Beilis and his band:

(I have a thing for drummers)

I love going to live shows; they’re so much fun. And, I get to meet and hang out with really awesome people.

………………………………………………………………….

School is keeping me busy… sorta. This particular course is kinda on the too easy side, so I don’t really pay that much attention to the lecture and breeze through the lab and quiz. I’ve maintained an A for the course without much effort. The next two classes that start next month are going to much more challenging as one of them is psychology.

…………………………………………………………………..

The photography gig at the local hospital is going well. The commissions are starting to roll in and each week is a nice surprise! It’s kind of funny (in the non-haha way), I’ve noticed that I generate more sales in the two days that I work than the other chick does in the 5 days that she works (and she’s been working as a photographer for 2 years). I don’t know if it’s because I’m more sociable to the new parents, or that I (possibly) take better pictures. Though, it’s not like I am complaining, but a thought of interest that occurred to me.

………………………………………………………………….

We’re 3 months and twenty some-number of days until we arrive at Disney World! Amelia is getting so excited about meeting all her favorite characters. I’m starting to get a little excited as well, though I think it will really sink in once we reach August…. which at the rate the months are flying by, it’ll be here soon!

………………………………………………………………..

We don’t have any concrete Summer plans. I was talking to my Mom about taking a girls trip to Ocean City, MD during the week at some point and she’s keen with that idea. The reason we’d visit during the week, aside from obvious reasons: cheaper room rates and low crowds, is because I have a shit load of vacation days to use; like in excess of 20+ days. And, it’s totally sad that I had a mild anxiety attack when I calculated and confirmed with HR how many days I have left… because I don’t want to miss work. I’m a freak. I know. It’s just that I hate having work pile up while I am gone. Because there isn’t anyone to replace me when I am out. Talk about job security, right? So, I’m going to have to find something to do and go to during the week to burn off some days. Joy.

I am feeling way too lazy to go into detail about this weekends events (including the pictures I have that are still on the camera), so I’ll just give the simple story:

Saturday:

We all slept in; even Amelia! Oh, and I count getting up at 8am as sleeping in. We weren’t due to meet at the mall until 3:30pm, so Greg ran out to do a few errands while I packed up Amelia’s clothes and started some laundry. Eventually Greg returns with a late breakfast from McD’s (love their fruit and walnut salad – so does Amelia) and then we’re on the round around noon. First we stop by Greg’s Mom’s place of employment to pay a short visit and talk about Thanksgiving plans (still don’t know what we’re doing with Greg’s side of the family in regard to dinner) and just chit-chat for about 15-20 min. Around 1pm we make our way down to Waldorf. We were expecting traffic. There was none! And we were at the mall within 45 minutes. I tried calling my Mom to see what she was up to and to let her know we’re early but she never answered the phone. So, I napped in the car (along with Amelia which is the real reason we didn’t go in the mall). Finally, it’s about 3pm so we head inside and change Amelia for her visit with Santa. It turns out Mom was at the mall the entire time! Figures.

Amelia met Santa and didn’t fuss or anything! We were surprised. Her picture, on the other hand… somewhat entertaining. I’ll have to take a picture of it and post later (since I don’t have a scanner). Once Santa was over, the girls – those being April, Mom, and I – did a little shopping while the boys – those being Greg and Clayton – took the kids to a restaurant to get us a table. It was a nice break.

Dinner was uneventful. Greg decided to treat everyone and paid the tab. Greg also get a little tipsy from restaurant quality (or lack of) sangria. I was just as surprised.

Finally, it was picture appointment time! We arrived about 10 min early and the place was PACKED. We knew we weren’t going to be seen at our appointed time (which kinda ticked me off a little). As a matter of fact we weren’t ‘seen’ until nearly an hour and a half AFTER our appointed time! I surprised the girls (Olivia and Amelia) made it that long, given the photos were taken after their normal bedtimes. And, as to be expected, the pictures were a little challenging to take. No major meltdowns though. It was a little after 9pm by the time we all left.

Greg and I were home a little after 10 and pretty much went straight to bed (well, within an hour).

Sunday:

We woke up around 8:30ish and talked about what to do. Our original plans were to head over to Rehoboth Beach for outlet shopping. On a whem, Greg decides to go out for brunch so we get showered and ready to go. By the time brunch was over, Greg lost his motivation to drive all the way out to Delaware. I offer the suggestion of outlet shopping a little closer to home (such as Hagerstown or Queenstown) and he declines and we decide to continue as planned.

It took us a little over 2 hours to get to Rehoboth Beach! I don’t remember it taking that long the previous times (but, to be fair, I think I slept through the car ride as well). We did our traditional stop at Sonic’s for a few drinks (as we were still full from brunch).

Our first store was for Greg. We went to Causal Male and picked out nearly everything Greg will need, clothing-wise, for the cruise! He bought about 5 pants, 4 t-shirts, and 3 tropical shirts (all of which I picked out). He made out pretty good (in my opinion). While the guy was ringing up our stuff, we were chit chatting and talking about our up coming cruise and he was talking about his past cruises and stuff. Also, Greg and I decided to play a game and try to guess the total each time we visited a store. My guess for Greg’s clothes was $350, the actual total was $345! I was so close!

The second store was for me, Lane Bryant. The entire store was 40% off (except for bras and panties) and they had a huge clearance section. I bought 7 pairs of pants/capris (both for the cruise and work); 7 shits, a dress (for Greg’s company party and the cruise) and Greg picked out 2 pairs of panties. I guessed my total would be at least $250, but expecting it to be higher. I was wrong. The total came to $204! I was shocked!

By the time we finished shopping for clothes, it was about 3:45pm. We called Mom and Amelia to say hi and share our excitement about the amazing deals on the clothes. Once we were done chatting, we head over to another section of the outlets (there are three sections within a mile of each other) and search for shoes and I wanted to look for a purse/bag for the cruise. I noticed there was a Coach Outlet store so we stopped in. I did find a style of bag that I liked and would have bought, if it weren’t for $$$ – even on clearance. Granted, Greg would have bought it for me if I really wanted it. But, I would rather spend the month on other things. So, we moved onto the Fossil store and I found a similar style bag there (something to also carry during the shore excursions and keep our passports in. And to think, Greg was going to wear a fannie-pack!!!) and while in the Fossil store, Greg bought himself a new watch, a watch for me and 2 more watches for gifts (his Mom and one of his brothers). After Fossil, we went to Sketchers. I found the shoes I wanted (and loved) but they didn’t have my size in the color I wanted!!! I used to wear a size 10 shoe; now I am a size 9!! They had a size 9.5 and it was too big and the 8.5 was too small. It was so weird. So, I settled for a similar shoe. Greg went shoe shopping at the Nike outlet about bought a new pair of sneakers and I found a pair of ‘dock shoes’ (cruise shoes).

Once we were finally done with the shopping we decided to have dinner. We were on the road to home by 7pm and didn’t arrive until a little after 9pm – this time due to slow ass drivers on the backroads.

…

That was the busy weekend we had. Lots of driving (a whole tank worth); lots of money spent; lots of good times.

**yes, I’ve finally posted the long awaited beach trip**

This summer we, along with my Mom, took Amelia to Ocean City, MD. Her very first beach trip. Since my Mom had Amelia (babysitter was in the Bahama’s), Greg and I were able to leave extra early to do a few things before we went back into ‘parental mode’.

I believe we left around 7:30am. We wanted to get a head start in case we ran into Annapolis traffic. I packed a pillow, took two pain meds, and slept the entire way to Bridgeville, De. where our first stop was breakfast at Sonic, where we tried their new breakfast sandwich, Super Sonic Breakfast Toaster:

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Toaster

The sandwich is huge! I had a little difficulty eating it because I couldn’t open my jaw as big as it needed to take a real bite, so I was nibbling the sandwich.

Greg loves fast food breakfast (good thing we don’t eat fast food very often) and had the Toaster sandwich and another sandwich, Sonic’s version of an McMuffin:

Sonic's version of the McMuffin

And one can’t go to Sonic without trying a new drink (while ordering the usual). Greg ordered an Orange Cream Slushie and it was amazing! It tasted like an Orange Julius and a cremsicle blended together. It was fantastic.

Sonic's Orange Cream Slushie

And, we ordered our usual: Cherry Limeade.

Sonic's Cherry Limeade

After breakfast we were on the road again. I called Mom to see where she was and to figure out where we were going to meet. Turns out Mom was at least an hour behind us and we were about 30-40 minutes away from Ocean City, so we were in no hurry.

The drive was uneventful. It was cloudy and over casted with a little rain.

Eventually, we make it to Ocean City. We drive by the Lighthouse, where we stayed for our one year anniversary, and decided to stop by the off-the-road park by the bridge. When we got to the pier I saw 3 boats out with para-sailors.

There are 2 para-sailors in the picture; they're just hard to find

It started to rain a little while we were out there and the lighting wasn’t in our favor for picture taking, so we didn’t hang around too long. I did snag a picture of Greg and me:

Jess & Greg, OC 2008

Then it was back to the car. I called my Mom to get her location and to decide where to meet. By now it’s about 10:30-11:00am. It was decided to meet at the beaches at Assateague Island. The drive to Assateague Is. is about 20-30 minutes (depending on whose driving and what you’re driving behind). We passed the really unique trees that I like:

Taken in February 2008

Taken in July 2008

I don’t know what it is, but there is something so neat (to me) about that tree line.

Greg and I arrive at Assateague Is. and we were told that the beach was closed, due to a *possible* thunderstorm, but should be reopened within the next 15 minutes. We were like “ok” because we haven’t heard any thunder today and didn’t know that a beach would actually be closed. Either way, it struck us as odd. Oh, and it took F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get through the line (via car) to pay the admittance fee for the park; seriously, how difficult is it to hand a guy $6? So, Greg and I park and start to unload our items and change into our swim suits as we wait for my Mom. After about 15-20 minutes I spot my Mom in the line and it takes her about 15-20 to get through; it was really annoying.

Finally! We’re all together and at THE BEACH! I was getting pretty antsy (and annoyed) and ready to just grab Amelia and head to the beach. But no. Mom had so many things that she had to have on the beach. So, we collect all the items, wait for Mom to get into her swim suit, and then we’re walking up the hill to the beach!

We (read: Greg) carried Amelia up the hill. When we were out of the way of people traffic, we put Amelia down to walk. It was so funny! She didn’t know what to do about the sand between her toes or how to walk in the sand, muchless. we had to coax her and show her that it was safe and OK, then she got the hang of it.

We picked our spot and made camp.

Amelia at the Beach

Greg immediately began taking pictures; as you can see. I took a few pictures of Amelia on the beach and then she and I headed to the water!

Amelia's first step's to the Atlantic Ocean

Amelia testing out the water

It didn’t help that the water was actually cold (or chilly) and the weather wasn’t as hot or humid (which would have made the cold water feel nice).

Mom joined Amelia and I in testing out the water:

Amelia chasing the water

We didn’t stay down at the water too long due to the water temperature (for Amelia) and headed back to camp and played in the sand for a little while:

Amelia jumping in the sand

Amelia sitting in the sand

Amelia sitting on Daddy's back

Amelia and MiMaw having a snack

After a couple of hours we were ready to check into our hotel room, drop off everything, and walk the boardwalk. So, we start to pack up camp and head back to the cars. But, before we left we took a few family pictures:

The S. Family

Two Generations

Mother and Daughter

As Mom was going through her trunk looking for an outfit to change Amelia into a wild pony decided to help out:

Assateague Pony helping pick an outfit for Amelia

Checking through all the bags

It was kind of cool to have these two ponies visit us; but I was also a little apprehensive. After all, these are wild ponies, and just like any animal, are unpredictable. So, I snagged a few pictures while Greg dressed Amelia and kept her away from the horses.

I think he wants to come home with us

Nope. He just wanted Amelia's graham crackers

Not too long after these two ponies showed up, a small herd (of about six ponies) showed up!

and one of the brown ponies started to fend off the herd by bucking and kicking (and pooping)! I was worried that Greg’s car, Mom’s car, or the car next to us was going to get kicked and damaged! Thankfully, the herd didn’t fight back and nothing really happened.

After the excitement from the ponies we were on our way to the hotel and to head to the boardwalk. The hotel room was par to our needs and expectations and not really worthy of pictures (shocking, I know). We drop off our bags, change, and head out to the boardwalk. We decide to walk while we wait for the tram, since there really isn’t a schedule. We didn’t have a destination in mind and decided to pick the first restaurant that we saw worth interest. Yeah, that didn’t work out too well, no one cared what the other wanted to eat or where to eat and it was getting on my nerves (can we say PMS?), plus Amelia’s diaper decides to break and we didn’t have a back-up (because we just changed her and knew we’d only be out for a few hours and I’m one of those “less is more” – the less to carry the more happier I’ll be – people. So, Greg goes all the way back to the hotel for a diaper and it took nearly a half hour. And, wouldn’t you know it, Amelia didn’t pee until Greg was about 15 feet from reaching us! Thankfully, her shirt also worked as a dress so all was well. So, back to dinner. Out of pure frustration I selected the first restaurant that I saw: Mug & Mallet.

Mug & Mallet

We ordered an assortment of items for the four of us. Dinner was… eh at best. I’m pretty certain we won’t be visiting this restaurant again. And, apparently this is something new, but they, the restaurant, started ADDING and 18% gratuity to ALL checks; so we feel like the servers don’t really have to work for their tip since the know it’s going to be included. And, the reason we won’t be returning is because of the service! Our server had to be reminded of orders we placed and never brought out Amelia’s water (even after 2 requests). So, … yeah… no more Mug & Mallet for us. But, here are pictures of our food, which was alright:

Mom's Shrimp

BBQ Wings, Grilled Salmon, & Steamed Crabs

Steamed Crabs, Grilled Chicken, and Amelia's kiddie meal

Amelia had fun while we were at the restaurant:

Future Pole Dancer

But, then again, she always has fun when we’re out.

Once we were done with dinner, we headed over to the games and ride section of the Boardwalk. We wanted to put Amelia on a few rides because one can’t come to Ocean City and not ride the rides on the Boardwalk!

We only put Amelia on two rides, a flying doggie and Carousel:

Amelia's First Ride

Amelia on the Carousel

As you can see, Amelia wasn’t too thrilled about the rides and that is why we stopped at two.

It was pretty warm in the ride area (it is indoors), so we headed outside and back towards the hotel since it was getting close to Amelia’s bedtime. On our way back, Mom and I talked about going on the “Sling Shot”:

Sling Shot

Where two people sit in this ball and then you’re flung into the air; kind of like a reverse bungee jump + being in a steel ball. The only reason Mom and I didn’t get on the ride was the cost, $20 per person. Otherwise, we would have been on it and I would have more interesting pictures and probably a video clip to share at this part of the story.

We were lucky enough to catch the Tram early on the Boardwalk and rode it the rest of the way to the hotel:

Sun setting behind the Boardwalk sign

Amelia attacking the bag of Cotton Candy

We get to the hotel and decompress. When we arrived, there was a lot of smoke coming out of one of the rooms at the hotel net to us; then the firetrucks arrive!

Firetrucks in the alley

We never really knew what happened.

It’s been a long day. Mom does a little shopping, Greg runs out to the store to pick up milk for Amelia, and some aloe gel because we are burnt, and Amelia and I just hang out in the hotel room. This girl fought off sleep until 9pm! Greg returns to the hotel only to have to go back out because he left his cell phone at one of the convenience stores (they called me and I missed the call, so I call Greg back and another girl answered the phone – throwing me off guard. I asked who this was and it was then that I was told that the phone was found in the parking lot. Later, it was learned that the only reason it was found was because Pat, Greg’s brother, was calling him and someone saw the phone lighting up. Greg was lucky that there are still honest people out there). So Mom returns and we hang out on the balcony just talking about the days events and some other topics.

Evening on the Balcony

After about 15 minutes she heads into the room and goes to bed. Not to long after, Greg returns and we get back into our swimsuits and head out to the pool. The outdoor pool was cold. But, we were alone. I adjusted to the water but Greg never did, so we went inside to swim in the indoor pool, which wasn’t empty and was only five feet deep. We only hung out at the pool for about a half hour. We get back the hotel room, Mom is sound alseep and Amelia was in a deep sleep. We get undressed, drown each other in aloe gel and go to bed. Sleep wasn’t as good as we hoped; we already missed our bed.

The following morning, Mom waked up around 5:30am and heads down to the beach to get pictures of the sunrise. Greg was going to go with her, but the morning was so foggy, he didn’t feel the pictures would turn out well, so he didn’t go. Mom was able to get a few good ones.

Around 7am Amelia wakes up:

Amelia. Always the morning person.

We take our time getting up and adjusting to our sunburns and being in ‘parental mode’ again. Mom was still outside, somewhere on the beach. Eventually, around 7:30, she comes back and says she’s going to set up camp because spots are going quick. She comes back around 8:30 and takes Amelia to the beach. Greg and I pack up the room and head upstairs to the, paid, breakfast buffet. Totally not worth the $28 we paid. I was rather upset about the lack of food and the high cost; I was in real PMS mode by this point.

So, Greg takes all the bags to the cars and completes the check out while I head over to the beach to find Mom. I really had a no patience by this point; even the sand was pissing me off. But, I suck it up and try to make the best of it.

The morning was still really foggy:

Our Hotel, from the beach.

The water was still cold (and I wasn’t expecting it to be warmer) and the tide was way out. I’ve never seen the tide so far out at Ocean City, so it was kinda neat to me.

We chased Amelia all over the beach.

Amelia running into the water

Amelia kicking the water

Amelia watching the water

Me. Taking a break and probably getting all the sand off of me.

I was only knocked down by one wave and I didn’t loose my glasses.

By noon-ish I was done. I was very irritable; in pain from both the tooth and the sunburn; and just wanted to get out of the sand. I know my Mom wanted to stay longer, and I would have but at another time. Greg and I wanted to take Mom out to lunch, but again, no one could think of a place and Mom was like “I don’t care, you pick” which just irritated me. So, we head back to the hotel to rinse off with their little hose thing, Mom goes in and changes and I take Amelia into the restroom and rinse her off in the sink and change her. I didn’t get to rinse off and I got to change ALL of my clothes in the stairwell of the parking garage. Yes, I got buck-nekkid, in public. And I didn’t care if someone saw me.

The plan was to spot a restaurant on the way home, the first one either of us found of interest. Didn’t happen. Mom ended up stopping at all the roadside veggie stands and antique shops, while Greg drove and Amelia and I slept. We did stop in Easton, when Amelia woke up, for a potty break and lunch at a Dairy Queen.

We were home around 4pm and I immediately started on the laundry.

I did a lot of Twitter’ing during the trip; figured I’d try it out since I’ve been a member for sometime (although I didn’t start ‘using’ it until May).

As soon as I posted the last entry, I took my prescribed pain meds (2) and laid in bed. Too afraid to move because I was in some pain. More than I was expecting/remember. Greg laid in bed next to me, holding my hand and petting my hair as I started to fall into sleepy-land. Greg ended up taking a nap as well. Greg woke up before me, a few hours before me. I slept from 3:30-ish to just before 8pm. I could easily go back to sleep right now. But, I’m not.

Nope. I did some MORE laundry (just the clothes I wore over the weekend and some towels); we cleaned out the refrigerator (and it’s now COMPLETELY empty – no joke) and the cabinets and threw away anything and everything we haven’t touched. Yeah, that was about three bags of food (unopened or expired). Greg switched out the car seats and transferred the water and drinks from my trunk to his (I was going to do the driving to Ocean City, but after today’s events it was decided he should drive… just in case I need to sleep). I played a little Guitar Hero. Basically, I’m pushing off bedtime until absolutely necessary because I want to be able to sleep as deeply as possible.

Greg, for some unknown reason, wants to LEAVE the house around 6am. Our plan is to head up to Sonic’s for breakfast, go through Delawere and Rehobeth Beach before reaching our hotel. Also, we plan on getting to Ocean City as early as possible to get some pictures before the crowds come.

**on a side note about photography, Greg submitted 7 pictures onto a professional site for selling. After the site reviewed the submitted pictures, 4 were approved to sell!! And, when we used their calculators for price suggestion, one photo alone had a price tag of $750!! that the Site suggested! So, Greg has four photos up for sale!! Cross your fingers that we sell something and soon**

Since we’re going to get there uber early we’ve already decided on what places we want to visit for photo ops (and Greg is bringing the tripod). I have a few photo suggestions in my mind as well and the tripod is going to make the pictures so nice!

I talked to my Mom this afternoon, when I got home from the appointment (sometime around 1:30pm) and asked if there was anything she specifically wanted to see or do in Ocean City and her only answer was: Beach and Boardwalk. So, she’s going to be easy to please. I haven’t decided on what I want to see or do. Greg’s main objective is to get sunset/sunrise pictures. So, basically it looks like we’ll be lazy and play in the sand.

I’m debating if I want to bring along the laptop or not. I know we’re only going to be gone a day and a half, so the only real reason I would bring it is for Greg to have a place to upload his pictures and clean out his memory card… he can fill up his 4gig cards really quickly (and he has 2 of them plus the 1gig that came with the camera). I, on the other hand, rarely use up all my gigs, unless I take a lot of videos.

…

I don’t know how many other Flickr fans there are (that read my blog) but I have a vent about Flickr. Their newest uploader, the 3.05, sucks! I’ve been using it for a few weeks and last night was the last straw for me. The uploader freezes, a lot, and tends to always have some weird issue for me. So, last night I said good bye to Uploader 3.05 and reinstalled the 2.5 version. I was writing and trying to post pictures about the family reunion last night, but I… just gave up on the uploading. The only thing I liked about the 3.05 uploader was that I could mark the pictures I wanted non-public prior to uploading, which I can’t do with 2.5 (it’s either all or nothing).

…

Ok, so it’s now 12:02am. The dryer just went off so that means my clothes for the beach are done. The gum is starting to hurt again, so I am going to take this as a sign to take more meds and crash for the rest of the night.

I’m disappointed to write that there was no 5am Battering Ram team. We don’t know what happen from when we talked to the cop around 1pm to when we came home around 5pm; evidentially something happened because our neighbor was no longer ‘in hiding’, or so it seemed.

As expected, the O’s lost yesterday. But, the game was enjoyable nonetheless. I really enjoy baseball as a sport; it’s exciting to watch and play. I don’t really follow the team members (other than Brandon Fahey, but I follow him because of his strong inner strength rather than his (in)ability to play short stop) or their stats. I enjoy going to a game and I honestly root for the O’s and what other team they’re playing; hey, if a good hit was made, a great double or triple play was done – I’m going to cheer for you regardless.

I did take some nice pictures of the game:

Buildings in Baltimore City

Detroit Tigers Bullpen

Picture of us enjoying the game

I usually don’t wear a baseball cap but it was very sunny and hot and I don’t own a pair of sunglasses, so I took one of Greg’s hats (the cleanest one). I used to wear this hat when I worked at Weis (when they made me wear a hat) and Greg says I somehow shrunk that hat – hmm… doubt that… I just think he doesn’t want to wear it anymore for other reasons. Either way, it’s a neat hat – UAF – University of Alaska Fairbanks. Greg spent a good chunk of his childhood in Alaska (Kodiak and Sitka) and then in Oregon before moving to MD for good (for now). Moving on…

View from our seats

The section we sat in was the “AYCE” seats. We had “free” supplies of drink and snacks. But, given how hot it was I had a very small appetite and mostly drink my $20 worth of lemonade and soda. But, I did enjoy a few (maybe 3) ice cream sandwiches.

And, Greg and I forgot to put on sunblock so we both got a decent sunburn (I was expecting worse). But, at the same time, we (or I) want to have some tanned skin for when we go to the Caribbean this winter (and we’ve actually talked about going to a tanning salon!!) Luckily, I can hold a tan for quite some time due to my quarter bit Native American Indian heritage (hence the reason Amelia was so dark when she was born and how she’s more tan than Greg!)

Speaking of Amelia, she’s having a grand time with my Mom and step-dad! She loves to play with Lucy (the horse) and run around the huge yard. Mom bought her a little swimming pool after hearing about how well she did at the birthday party from the other weekend. It’s so cute to talk to Amelia over the phone! She’ll tell Greg and me that she misses and “wuves” us (yes, she can’t say “L”s very well at this moment). It’s hearing her say “I wuve you too” that’s the sinker for Greg and me. Amelia just started saying I Love You about two weeks ago on her own. It’s so quiet without her and we miss her to bits, but at the same time we’re able to get so much done around the condo and have more freedom to do spontaneous things after work.

This past Saturday we spent the day at my Mom’s celebrating her 49th birthday. Sean and I bought a bushel of crabs for Mom:

and just hung around the house until 10:30pm. Greg walked around and took some amazing pictures again, and he got the chance to use the wide angle lens some more (which I am totally loving):

We also set off a few fireworks, but those pictures didn’t turn out so great.

While visiting, Greg and my step-dad were talking about camera and lenses and the sorts (Step-dad is also an avid photographer but more along the lines of semi-pro) and Greg was telling him something about a tripod and my step-dad offers one to Greg! Actually, he let Greg pick one of two that he could have (and my step-dad has many more). So, what does Greg do with his new tripod, he goes and takes a picture of the night sky and stars… and I’ll have to post one of those photos later because I am unable to network to Greg’s computer at the moment.

All in all it was a nice weekend. I wish I could say the same about today. Work was uber stressful and my level of patience has dropped dramatically this month, among other things (*ahem*blogging*ahem*). I just feel… done… with everything at the moment. As well as bored. I’m frustrated at work because I’m not allowed (yes, they are not allowing me) to complete the tasks that they keep assigning me. I actually have to get permission to work on other things! It’s ridiculous! And I’m one of those people that like to keep my inbox empty – which means I only leave items in there that I need to be completed and as of tonight, I have over 20 uncompleted tasks and it drives me crazy.

Also, today, I had my dental evaluation. I only made this appointment so I could get some antibiotics for my tooth; which, I might add, the office had no problems, whatsoever, prescribing me Lorazepam over the phone, but they had to see me, in person, to prescribe Amoxicillion. What’s wrong with this picture? Also, I’ve come to the conclusion the dentists practically GIVE out Lortab or Hydrocodone! They didn’t even ask if I was in pain today and prescribed me MORE pain meds (fortunately, I still have plenty from when I had my gall bladder removal – but even then I’ve only taken two pills since the tooth broke on July 6th). Good thing I’m not addicted to this stuff. Oh, and this extraction is going to set me back $310!!! And we’re going to have to dip into our savings to pay for it since we’re going to Ocean City the day after my extraction – which they told me wasn’t going to be an easy procedure (and probably worse than the last one) and that it was a good idea to suggest/accept the Lorazepam for sedation and anxiety – which, by the way, is the reason it’s going to cost me $310 (the sedation alone is $145). What a great way to start my mini-vacation.

Greg and I had a serious talk about the possibility of me being pregnant and how we feel about it. While the thought is exciting and we are embracing the possibility, we’re a little concerned about how we’re going to make it. Presently, we’re actually doing OK. We have a little bit of money in the savings account (not a lot, but some) and we’re current with all our bills; as well as been on time with all our bills (meaning no late charges and improving our credit). Basically, at this moment in our life everything is working out just right – not too much, not too little. Adding a baby is going to make things a little more challenging, financially. We’ve talked about cutting back our expenses (canceling cable, but keeping the Internet, eating out less, etc) and finding ways to bring in more income, such as me looking more into LiveOps and Greg selling his photos online (which we’re actually getting ready to set up; Greg just needs to pick out 5-10 of his best photos and edit them to his level of perfection). I used one of the online pregnancy calculators and it stated that if I am pregnant and conceived around the time of my last cycle (which, again, was just 2 days of spotting), that my estimated due date is April 10, 2009. That’s a little freaky. I really need to find a new doctor and get the answer.

Work has been kicking my ass this week. Yesterday I stayed until 8pm! I was going to stay again tonight but I had one of the worst days in a while and was pretty much “fuck this! I’m not staying any longer than need be”

I believe that every women I spoke with today had PMS. And, I was on the verge of loosing it and screaming a those women and telling them to “Shut the fuck UP and let me finish my sentience!!” because NO ONE would let me finish what I was trying to say because they were too busy screaming at the top of their lungs (into the phone) and cursing me out. I have never, in my life, been called a bitch so many times as I have today (or in general for that matter). It was a bad day for me.

To add to that, I had to make an appointment with the dentist because the tooth that I broke earlier this month is starting to act up. I have never had problems with my teeth prior to getting pregnant, but I’ve learned that when a women is pregnant, the baby ‘takes’ all the calcium from the mother’s body and usually the teeth are the ones most effected. Sure seems to be true for me. Needless to say, I’m petrified of this visit given my last two experiences with the dentist; so much so that I’ve requested light sedation and the dentist prescribed something for me to take before the appointment… I can’t remember the name of the drug, but whatever.. I’ll take it.

Also, on the list today, I began my search for a Ob/Gyn because… I have even MORE reasons to be paranoid about being (possibly) pregnant. I know, I am such a procrastinator (and that’s all I’m going to admit to), but these new ‘symptoms’ are starting to push me. What are they? Well, for the last week and a half I’ve had severe nausea in the afternoon, usually within a half hour to an hour after eating lunch; for the past week and a half my boobs (both of them this time) have been sore and ‘feel’ different – like… fuller and they look fuller to me (Greg says he doesn’t see any difference); and the sinker is when I stand up quickly I get this sharp-ish pulling pain in my lower abdomen (more in the hip/pelvic area) and the last time I felt those was the Summer of 2006 (when I was preggers and didn’t know), and when I mentioned this to my old Ob/Gyn (because I made an appointment due to the sore boob for nearly a month – and it was time for my annual), he said it was probably due to a shift of my intestines (did loose nearly 40lbs in 5 months) brought on by my sudden movement. And, to me that made sense. Yeah… not believing it this time. So, it’s time for me to suck it up and find out once and for all.

I told Greg all of this earlier tonight (after we had sex… talk about a ‘just after’ mood killer) to gage his feelings about ‘what could be’, and … he’s cool with it (sorta). He did say that he was going to have a vasectomy once Baby #2 is born (so I don’t have to remain on birth control – and he knows how much I hate being on b/c). Then, he joked that he must have some mighty sperm or something – and I replied with something along the lines of “yeah.. and my body can resist the powers of b/c”… meh, at least he was light hearted about it. Which, I guess could be because one of his best friends, Tim and Brooke, are going to have a baby girl this fall and another co-worker of his (the one that invited us to their wedding in NY this past May) just found out she’s pregnant and due in February 2009 (she did the math and realized she got pregnant on her wedding night!); so maybe he’s getting the ‘baby bug’ or something (like he would ever admit to that… LOL).

My step-dad’s eBay sales are exceeding my expectations! He’s actually got nearly $2000 worth of bids on the items I listed for him! I still have one more to list, but I need to call him first… something I’ve been meaning to do for the last two nights.

The UPS Guy is leaving love notes again. I’ve been waiting for my Target order all week and tonight was the second night that s/he left ANOTHER stupid sticky note on the door – how anal are these people about the signature and name? Geez!

This weekend we are heading down to Mom’s and we’re going to leave Amelia with her since the babysitter is going to the Bahama’s until the 30th (babysitters daughter is in a dance competition or something). I have to finish packing Amelia clothes and toys and make sure I send all the little odds and ends down (baby Tylenol; enough diapers; de-tangler spray, etc). I’m already missing Amelia and she hasn’t left yet. These last few weeks have been … jaw dropping with Amelia’s rapid development; her verbal skills are better than those who are two or older, she’s actually begun counting objects (such as her fingers, Cheerios, etc)… it’s all so… freaky! I’m seriously blown away; yet I want more! It’s hard to explain, at least for me.

Greg and I are going to our first O’s game this Sunday. The O’s are having a “We Win, You Win 2” promotion, which is “…all fans in attendance at the 1:35 p.m. game on Sunday, July 20 against the Detroit Tigers will receive two complimentary tickets in the same seating category to any future non-prime game, if the Orioles win.” and we’re going to buy tickets in the “all you can eat” seats!

Next Wednesday night a group of us are meeting at a local restaurant for dinner and then we’re going to see the new Batman movie.

And, the last week of July we are going to Ocean City! Amelia’s first beach trip!!! I can’t wait. It’s been ages (ok, May 2005) since I swam in the Atlantic Ocean. This past Monday I bought a new bathing suit from Sears and I’ve pretty excited. Greg reserved a nice hotel room right on the Boardwalk!

We’ve got a pretty busy social calander for the remainder of the month, and I couldn’t be happier!!